Explosive-engine.



PATBNTED MAY'15, 190e.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.` 2, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

No. 820,626. PATNTED MAY`15, 1906.

J. F. CROWLEY.

EXPLOSIVE ENGINE.

APPLIOATION FILED Nov; 2, 1903.

2 SHEETS-SEEN z.

CONNECTED GOVERNOR UNTTED sTATEs PATENT OEE-ICE.

JOHN E. OROWLEY. OE MiLWAUKEE, WisOONsINQAssiGNOR OE THREE- EOURTRs To MARGUERITE PAULL or MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin.

EXPLOSlVE-ENGINE.

To a/Z/ whom it' may con/cern.-

Beit known that I, JOHN F. CROWLEY, residing at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Explosive- Engines, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which are a part of this specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful -improvements in explosive-engines, and particularly to that class of explosiveengines known as four-cycle engines.

The object of this invention is to rovide a cushioning means for the piston uring the explosion-stroke and an accelerating means for the piston during the compression-stroke.

A further object is to accomplish the above objects by means of compressed air opposing the piston during the explosion-stroke and assisting it during the compression-stroke.

Another object is to provide a valve-operating means controlled by the speed-governor for regulating the supply of compressed air.

With the above primary and other incidental objects in view the invention consists of the devices and parts or their equivalents, as hereinafter more fully set forth.

Referring to the accom anying drawings, in which like characters ofp reference indicate the same parts in the several views, Figure 1 1s a vertical section of an engine embodying my invention with parts broken away. Fig. 2 is an elevation thereof, also with arts broken away. Fig. 3 is an enlargedv etail view of the valve-operating device, showing the relation of parts when the governor, which is not shown, has o erated them as the result of excessive spee Fig. 4 isan enlarged transverse section of the valve-operatin g device, taken on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2; and Fig. 5 is an elevation of a modified form of valve-operating device for use with throttlecontrolled engines.

In the drawings, 7 represents the enginecasing, which for illustration of the invention is shown to be of the vertical or upright type, having mounted thereon a water-j acketed cylinder 8, in which operates the piston 9, with its piston-rod 10 sliding through the packed cup-shaped cylinder-head 11 and connected to the cross-head12, which is slidable in ver.-

Specication of Letters Patent. fApplication filed November 2, 1903. Serial No. 179,534.

Patented May 15,1906.

tical ways of the casing. The pitman 13 connects the cross-head 12 with the crank of the crank-shaft 14, carrying the fly-wheel 15 in a usual manner.

Beneath the crank-shaft 14 is journaled'a cam-shaft 16, which is driven from said crank-shaft by intermeshing gearing 17, proportioned to drive said cam-shaft 16 at onehalf the rotary speed of the crank-shaft 14. A cam 18 on the cani-shaft engages with the roller 19 on the end of a lever 20, pivoted to the casing and during its rotation lifts said lever and causes it to reciprocate by means of a pivoted connecting-link 24, a slide 21,which is guided between dovetailed guide-flanges 22 of a plate 23, secured to the casing of the engine. A lever 25 is pivoted in a yoked standard 26 on top of the upper cylinder-head and is connected by a pivoted link 27 to the slide 21, so as to be swung thereby as the result'of the motion produced by cam 18 and cause its inner end to engage wththe spring-pressed stem of an exhaust-valve 28 to unseat said valve and open the cylinder to the exhaustpassage 29. i A similar spring-actuated valve 30 under lighter spring-pressure opens the inlet-passage 31 to the interior of the cylinder on the suction-stroke in the usual manner, and an ignition-plug 32 therebeneath.

ires the charge of explosive gases drawn through said inlet-valve at the proper time by ordinary mechanism, not shown, but which may be operated by the pinion 33 on camshaft 16. Y 1

In so far as described the engine closely resembles the ordinary form of explosive-engine .of the four-cycle type, and its main operation only differs therefrom in the equalizing-pressure feature, the governing device, and the lubricating means to be now described.

In the usual operation of four-cycle engines of the common construction the piston is given its greatest speed on the explosionstroke immediately after its slowest speed of the compression-stroke, durin which it is retarded by the compression o the explosive Y gases. This results in a sudden jar ofthe entire engine and the structure by which it is' supported,rendering it necessary to employ ICO greater precaution against loosening of the"` parts than would be necessary if these pres-jl I sures were more equal and the jar obviated.

To this end I employ a compressed-air-storage tank 34, preferably in the base of the engine-casing, as shown, and which is charged with compresed air through the valve 35 by any suitable means and from which a pipe 36 leads to a valve-chamber 37, containing a spring-seated valve 38, controlling the airpassage 39 to the cylinder 8 beneath the piston. A second cam 40 is carried by the camshaft 16 and engages the roller 41 of a lever 42, which is also pivoted to the casing, as with lever 20, and lifts said roller and lever with the yoke-link 43, which` is pivoted to said lever 42. A slide 44 is mounted in dovetailed guide-flanges 22 of plate 23, so as to .reciprocate vertically by being pivoted to the upper end of the yoke 43, and carries a pivoted trigger-arm 45, which is given a spring tendency to move out of its upright position by a coiled spring 46, confined between a lug 47 on said trigger-arm and a lug 48 on slide 44. The central dovetailed guide-flange 22 has secured thereto a plate 49, against which a roller 50 on aboss of the trigger-arm 45 is pressed by the spring 46 and which normally forms a track for said roller to support the trigger-arm 45 in its u right position, vso that its end will engage the oWer end of the springpressed stem o air-valve 38 and lift said valve from its seat when the slide 44 is raised by cam 40. The plate 49, however, is provided with a recess 51, into which the roller 5() will be forced by the spring 46 when the entrance to said recess is not closed by thev depending iinger 52 of a guard-plate 53, carried by slide 21 directly in front of plate 49, and which plate 53 has a recess 54 similar in shape and size to recess 51 to register therewith when the slide 21 is in its upper position, but which closes the recess 51 to the entrance of roller 50 by its depending finger 52 when the slide 21 is in its lower position. 1n order that the trigger-arm 45 may not be swung out of position on engaging the stem of airvalve 38, I locate a pin at the upper end of slide 44 to engage said trigger-arm 45 in its upright position. 1

A bell-crank dog 55 is pivotedto one of the guide-flanges 22 and is adapted to engagea shoulder 56, carried bythe slide 21 when said slide is in its upper position and when said dog is swung into such engagement by a pull of rod 57, pivoted to the outer end of the dog, said rod being connected with a governor of any suitable type (not shown) which will exert such a pull when the engine exceeds its normal speed.

With an engine controlled by a throttle and having no governor I employ a modified form of valve-operating means, as shown in Fig. 5, in which the slide 21 is without the YVplate' 53 and shoulder 56. The slide 44 is provided with a rigidly-mounted lift-arm 58 instead of the trigger-arm 45 to open the valve 38 at every upward movement of said slide, and the guide-flanges are without the plate 49 and the dog 55.

Near the lower end of the cylinder 8 is an oil-valve 59, leading to an opening in the wall of the cylinder, through which oil may be fed to the cylinder and stand in the lower end thereof. The piston 9 is provided with a depending annular flange 61, preferably consisting of sheet-metal spring-lingers which in the lowermost position of the piston'dip into the oil at the bottom of the cylinder and on the upward movement of the piston spread oil along ythe walls of the cylinder, and so keep the piston thoroughly lubricated.

From the foregoing it will be seen that in the operation of the engine shown and described the explosions take place as usual g but during the explosion-stroke of the piston the air-valve 38 is being held open by the cam 40, so that the compressed air of tank 34 is admitted to the cylinder, exerting its pressure in opposition to the pressure of the explosion. The explosion-stroke of the ,piston is thus cushioned by compressing the air therebeneath to a greater degree and forcing it through the air-valve 38 back into the storage-tank 34. As the piston starts its exhaust-stroke cam 40 releases the air-valve 38 and allows the piston to make its exhaust and suction strokes without `beingafiected by the compressed air. On the compressionstroke of the piston, however, the cam 40 again opens the air-'valve 38 and admits the compressed air beneath the piston to assist said piston in its upward movement against the resistance of the charge being compressed. The result of the action of the compressed airis to diminish the speed of the explosion-stroke of the piston and accelerate the speed of the compression-stroke, thereby rendering the operation of the engine more uniform and dispensing vwith the troublesome jar incident to the sudden highest speed following the lowest speed of the piston, as heretofore. The cam 18 holds exhaust-valve 28 off of its seat only during the exhaust-stroke, and when the speed of the engine exceeds the normal the governor operates rod 57 to swing dog 55 into engagement with the shoulder 56 of the slide 21 and holds said slide in its upper position, with the exhaust-valve 28 open, so that the succeeding operations of the piston merely suck in atmospheric air through the exhaust-passage 29 until the speed of the engine has become normal, when the governor will release dog 55 and permit the slide 21 to resume its normal operation. lVhen the slide 21 is thus locked in its upper position by the dog 55, the upward movements of the slide 44 cause the roller 41 to ride into the recesses 51 and 54, which are then in register, and so swing the upper end of the trigger- IOO IIO

arm 45 to one side, .where it will not engage the stem of air-valve 38, and therefore said valve will remain closed until the speed ofthe engine has become normal and the governorhas restored slide 21 to its normal operation. The engagement of the dog 55 with the shoulder 56 of slide 2l takes place when the said slide is slightly below its uppermost position, so that the cam 18 gives it a slight upward movement at each rotation of said cam in order that the governor may withdraw the dog 55, if the speed of the engine has been reduced suiiiciently for that purpose.

What I claim as my invention is- 1. In an explosive-engine a coinpressed-air tank having connection with the cylinder, an air-valve controlling the passage through said connection, a slide operated by the engine, a spring-pressed trigger-arm pivoted to the slide, a roller carried by the trigger-arm, a plate guiding the roller so that the triggerarm will engage and operate the air-valve, said plate having a recess into which the roller may pass, and a slidable plate controlled by the engine-governor'and having a recess to register with the recess of the first-named plate to allow the roller to enter said recesses when the governor operates upon said second plate.

2. In an explosive-engine, a slide operating the exhaust-valve and actuated by the engine, a dog controlled by the governor of the engine for locking the slide, a compressed-air tank in connection with the cylinder, an airvalve controlling the passage through said connection, a vsecond slide operated by the engine, a spring-pressed trigger-arm pivoted to the second slide, a roller carried by the trigger-arm, a stationary plate guiding the rolIer so that the trigger-arm will engage and operate the air-valve, said plate having a recess into which the roller may pass, and a second plate carried by the first-named slide and having a recess to register with the recess of the stationary plate when said first-named slide is in its locked position, said roller being adapted to enter the recesses and swing the trigger-arm only when said recesses register.

3. In an explosive-engine, a compressedair tank having connection with the cylinder, an air-valve controlling the passage through said connection, a slide operated by the engine, a spring-pressed trigger-arm pivoted to the slide, a plate guiding the trigger-arm so that it will engage and operate the air-valve, said plate having a recess into which the trigger-arm may pass, and a slidable plate controlled by the engine-governor and having arecess to register with the recess of the firstnamed plate to allow the trigger-arm to enter said recesses when the governor operates upon said second plate.

4. In an explosive-engine, a slide operat-` ing the exhaust-valve and actuated by the governor of the engine a dog 'controlled by the governor of the engine for locking the slide, a compressed-air tank in connection with the cylinder, an air-valve controlling the passage through said connection, a second slide operated by the engine, a springpressed trigger-arm pivoted to the lsecond slide, a stationary plate guiding the triggerarm so that it will engage and operate the airvalve, said plate having a recess into which the trigger-arm may pass, and a second plate carried by the first-named slide and having a recess to register with the recess of the stationary plate when said first-named slide is in its locked position, said trigger-arm being adapted to enter the recesses and swing only when said recesses register.

5. In an explosive-engine, a valve having a projecting stem, a slide actuated by the engine, an arm carried by the slide and adapted to engage the valve-stem, a guide for normally leading the arm into engagement with the valve-stem but being capable of permittin a displacement of the arm whereby it wil avoid the valve-stem, a guard also actuated by the engine and adapted to normally prevent the displacement of the arm, and means controlled by the governor of the engine for rendering the guard ineffective.

6. In an explosive-engine, a valve having a projecting stein, a slide actuated by the engine, an arm carried thereby and adapted to normally engage the valve stem, a guide adapted to lead the arm into engagement with the valve-stem but bein capable of permitting the displacement of t e arm whereby `it will not engage the valve-stem, a second slide actuated by the engine, a guardcarried by the second slide and adapted to normally prevent the displacement oi the arm, and a catch controlled by the governor of the engine Jfor preventing the movement of the second slide whereby the displacement of the arm will be permitted.

7. In an explosive-engine, a valve having a projecting stem, a slide actuated by the engine, an arm carried by the slide and adapted to normally engage the valve-stem, a projection on the arm, a guide against which the projection bears having a recess into which the rojection may move to displace the arm so t at it will not engage the valve-stem, a guard actuated by the engine and adapted to normally prevent the projection entering the recess, and means controlled by the governor of the engine for renderingsaid guard ineffective.

8. In an explosive-engine, a valve having a projecting stem, a slide actuated by the engine, an arm carried by the slide and adapted to normally engage the valve-stem, a proj ection on the arm, a guide against which the IOO IIO

projection bears having a, recess into which projection to move therein to prevent the opthe projection may move, a second slide aceration of the valve by the arm. 1o tiiated by the engine, a guard carried thereby In testimony whereof I affix my signature havin a guide-surface to bridge over the re-` in presence oi tWo Witnesses.

cess o? the guide, and a catch controlled by JOHN F. CROVLEY.

the governor of the engine for preventin the Witnesses:

movement of the second slide, thereby eav- C. T. BENEDICT,

ing the recess exposed and permitting the ALMA KLUG. 

